Norwegian Cruise Line: Fun, freedom, choices

Norwegian Cruise Line's colorful design carries through inside, with lively contemporary art and many other enticements.

NCL's Spirit, anchored off Santorini, brought cruisers to land in comfy,  efficient tenders, offering great photo opportunities of ship and shore. 

ALL ABOARD NCL FOR FREE-STYLE FUN,  RELAXING CRUISE, FUN PORTS, PRETTY SHIP, TABLES FOR TWO

NCL's colorful ships make mid-priced cruising attractive to sailors such as this column's photographer, Bruce Keller. NCL travels the world with many exciting itineraries on her colorful ships.

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

"The Carpe Diem Kids"

A balcony aboard NCL's Spirit offers a lovely view of passing sights and cozy reading corner for Christene Meyers. 

SUN. JOY. Bliss, Sky, Jade, Pearl, Star, Viva. Those are a few of the fanciful names in Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet. These romantic handles lured us on a cruise aboard the Spirit.

Aboard NCL's Spirit, seasoned travelers "Cookie and Keller" enjoyed dining, a table  for two, top shows and terrific land tours. 

AFTER MORE than 100 cruises on ships large and small, top-drawer to modest, this Norwegian-Irishman writer and my Greek-Scandinavian sailor set our compass heading for Norwegian Cruise Line. We'd cruised NCL in the Caribbean decades ago, on the smaller Sunward, then on the much larger Norway, the former SS France. When NCL acquired her in 1979, the line spent $100 million on a glorious renovation, paving the way for a new era of cruising. NCL continues to raise the bar, creating varied offerings for cruisers wanting both adventure, relaxation, fine dining, top entertainment and beautiful ocean view spaces.

A tour up the famed Amalfi coast, an appealing part of the Spirit's attractive options.

We yearned for the relaxation and pampering we remembered on NCL and were delighted to find it still exists. This latest two-month trip included three cruises and three weeks on land. It was our 25th foray to Europe and the Greek Isles.

We chose NCL's Spirit because we liked its "active relaxation" pitch, mid-size and fair-price. (Our trip included three cruises, so we didn't want to break the bank.)

NCL combines fun destinations, freedom to explore

AS TRAVEL and arts writers, musicians, and romantics celebrating an anniversary, we also wanted lively shows, a table for two and interesting artwork. We liked the itinerary, an important consideration.  We were delighted that NCL captured our hearts again, satisfying my need for R&R in pleasant surroundings, a lively casino, good gym and myriad dining options.  Its friendly officers charmed my partner, who chatted with them about all things nautical. Our lovely balcony offered a lively view of ports and dock life, another plus for us.

NCL was the first cruise line to offer "freestyle" dining, a concept now used by many other cruise lines. 

Founded in 1966 with a a single ships, NCL quickly expanded and earned a sound reputation. Her ever-expanding fleet now numbers 21 vessels, great choices for families, couples and generations.

Lively artwork is one of NCL's distinctions. The line has set trends in many areas of cruising.

Dessert fit for a king and queen.

NCL tour groups  are kept small so each person enjoys the history, here viewing viewing Our Lady of the Castle in Rhodes. 

Norwegian Cruise Line -- tops in Greek Isles cruising

NCL's Spirit took us on an 11-day journey with stops in Mykonos, Piraeus--Athens, Rhodes, Santorini, Chania, Valletta, Messina and Naples.  We'd experienced all these ports but looked forward to returning, especially to Malta and Sicily, which many cruise lines don't offer as regular ports of call. As seasoned cruisers, we look for places we love -- but also like new ports and locales we've not visited in a while.  Those were deciding factors on our choice of NCL's Spirit.

WE LOVE the "freestyle" concept pioneered by NCL.

Now copied by many other lines, it allows for deciding when, where and with whom to dine in the evening, the one meal most of us truly enjoy and kick back for on a cruise. Spirit also offered late-night dining options, another plus, and fun eateries including a delightful late-hours pub.  That flexibility includes casual dress options, with ability to schedule entertainment and avoid crowds.

As arts writers, we enjoyed several on-board auctions, chatting with knowledgeable auctioneers.  he auctions feature work by famed artists such as Peter Max and Guy Harvey, who were also commissioned for the eye-catching artwork on the Breakaway and Escape. We even ventured from our comfy patio to the lovely pool area, a playful modern extension of the ancient architecture we viewed in Greece and Italy.

We enjoyed an evening sail-out of Valletta, Malta, a port which  isn't regularly visited.  

ALTHOUGH WE are elite status on five other lines, through many  cruises, we haven't yet reached that level on NCL.  Still, we were invited to parties, and to tour of the bridge -- always a must. So taken were we with the trip's variety and professional, friendly service that we booked another NCL cruise, on Pride of America, the only mainstream ship sailing Hawaii itineraries with no foreign ports. We'll soon reprise the loop we took decades ago: stops in Maui, Kauai and both sides Kona and Hilo on the Big Island.

Recalling our 13 blissful Atlantic crossings in Queen's Class aboard the QE2, we're also interested in sampling the "all suite" section of NCL's newer vessels.  The "Haven" concept on the newer larger NCL ships offers a special all-suite section accessible only by keycard holders booked there, in the style of Cunard's famous first-class/tourist-class ship design. The Haven has a private bar and lounge, a custom restaurant, secluded sun deck, and private courtyard so guests have little need to leave the complex. www.ncl.com

A bird's eye view of the Water Taxi is yours from Double Tree Suites Gallery One, Fort Lauderdale, where we adventure next. Watch for tips on this lively Florida city with its beautiful canals and plenty of fun dining options.

UP NEXT: Come cavort with us as we head to Fort Lauderdale for a frolic with the alligators and the beautiful canals and grand hotels. We ride our favorite Water Taxis and check out the newly renovated digs at the Gallery One Double Tree. Then, an homage to celebrities at sea, including composer-pianist Andre Previn, and a host of others interviewed on the QE2 by Christene Meyers. Meanwhile, remember to explore, learn and live and catch us weekly for a fresh look at travel, the arts, nature, family and off-beat fun.